Monday 17th February

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: A Bonsai Show + The Mandalay Bus is Back!

☀️ Weather: 23° and sunny. There’s a low of 7° tonight.

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This Weekend: 🪴 Australian Plants as Bonsai

The Canberra Bonsai Society’s annual Australian Plants as Bonsai show returns to the Botanic Gardens this weekend. The exhibition features over 40 bonsai crafted from Australian native plants, along with live demonstrations on bonsai techniques. Details here.

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This Weekend: 🎡 The Royal Canberra Show

The region's largest annual agricultural event is just around the corner, with the Royal Canberra Show returning from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 February at Exhibition Park.

Expect all the classics—showbags, Sideshow Alley, woodchopping, farm animals, piglet racing and fireworks—plus a few new additions. Showjumping is back after a break, with a feature event from three-time national junior champion Tom McDermott. The Kids Giggle and Games Arena is making its debut with free activities and games. And there's a Science Extravaganza featuring exhibits including robots and forensic science. Details here.

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News and Tidbits:

The Mandalay Bus is Back: After closing in 2020 and receiving a fresh paint job in 2024, the iconic late-night food spot in Haig Park has reopened. It now serves food from Wednesday to Saturday, 6 pm to 1 am. You can learn more about the history of the bus here.

New Scooters?: A new scooter hire company is looking to fill the gap left by Beam, which was kicked out of the ACT last year. The company, Ario, uses advanced three-wheel scooters. While no formal negotiations are currently taking place between the ACT Government and Ario, a competitive application process will be held in the future.

Poll - I’m curious to know if you think the scooter hire services are good for Canberra? Answer here.

Arisa Trew: Olympic Gold medallist Arisa Trew was in action at the Belco Bowl over the weekend. She won back-to-back Queen of Belco Honours.

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🎨 Arts Around Canberra

There's so much happening in the arts around Canberra—this is the first of two roundups this week:

Baby Jane: Baby Jane is a classic Gothic thriller about two reclusive sisters living in a decaying Hollywood mansion. Canberra Rep presents its world premiere from Feb 20 – Mar 8. Details here.

Lights! Camera! Action!: There's a new exhibition at Canberra's smallest gallery, the Gallery of Small Things. Not quite cinema but close. New artworks include fine art photo prints, lighting pendants, woodblocks, ceramics, and etchings. Details here.

Gala(h): You Are Here is a Canberra-based independent arts organisation dedicated to supporting artists in developing their practice. They are holding a fundraising Gala(h) on March 1 at Dissent. Dress up, try the themed cocktail and enjoy the live entertainment. An Arts Market will also take place that same day. Details here.

Wesley Concerts: There are three concerts happening this week at the Wesley Music Centre. Soprano Rachel Mink performs with the Ellery String Quartet on Wednesday. On Saturday, violinist Jimmy Park and pianist Alexander Yau present a program featuring works by Debussy, Fauré, Ravel, and Schubert. On Sunday, Arnan Wiesel and Aaron Chew perform romantic and 20th-century four-hand works by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and more as part of the Harmonic Curves concert series. Details here.

New Exhibitions at M16: The next block of five exhibitions opens this Thursday at M16 Artspace. Details here.

Emerging Contemporaries: 2025 Emerging Contemporaries is Craft + Design Canberra's prestigious award exhibition celebrating the next generation of designers and makers. The exhibition showcases works by early-career artists from leading local institutions, including the Canberra Potters Society, Canberra Institute of Technology, and the ANU School of Art + Design. Details here.

John Waters – Radio Luxembourg: Iconic Australian star of stage and screen John Waters celebrates the songs of the British Pop Invasion that changed modern music forever in Radio Luxembourg at The Street. Details here.

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Kids: 🐱 Murrulangalang Story Time

Every Wednesday, the National Archives runs a free story time session for children aged 0 to 6 years old. Hear a story, act it out, sing a song, and take part in a scavenger hunt to help find Archie the cat hiding somewhere in the East Block building! Details here.